Ambitious plan laid out for future of ancient port

Left: Olivier Ferraton, global CEO of GL Events SA, said in a speech on Wednesday during the Guangzhou Annual Investment Conference that the company will boost its presence in Guangzhou. Right: Participants during the event listen attentively. Photos Provided to China Daily

A view of Guangzhou. The city, an ancient port hub, is looking to boost its scientific and innovation competence.

South China city a key location at the Belt and Road Initiative

Ren Xuefeng, Party chief of Guangzhou, mapped out an ambitious plan to construct the ancient commercial port city into a new national center city with three strategic hubs in his opening speech at the Guangzhou Annual Investment Conference that opened in the metropolis on Wednesday.

According to Ren, the city, one of the major starting points for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, will become a hub for aviation, shipping and scientific innovation in the years to come.

"Guangzhou, a major trade port to the outside world in olden times, will try to attract more key companies to help build the city into a hub of aviation, shipping and scientific innovation," Ren said. "Scientific innovation will become a new driving force and growth engine for Guangzhou," he added.

To this end, relevant departments in the city have introduced a series of preferential policies and regulations to help attract talent, capital, technologies and management from home and abroad.

Ren promised to further improve Guangzhou's investment climate and living environment to better serve the city's economic construction and scientific innovation.

Unique advantages

Dong Qiang, chairman of China State Shipbuilding Corp, said his company will further expand its cooperation with relevant departments in the city to help build the city into a hub for the shipping industry in the following years.

"As an ancient port city and one of the major starting points of the China's ancient Maritime Silk Road, Guangzhou has its special and unique advantages to become a new shipping and transportation hub which needs the participants of many key companies," Dong said.

CSSC will seize the opportunity to "join hands for Guangzhou's economic development."

Dong said his company will invest more than 15 billion yuan ($2.3 billion) during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20) to construct its Longxue ocean equipment production base, located at the estuary of the Pearl River in Guangzhou's Nansha district.

A new takeoff

"Now that Guangzhou has mapped out its plan to become an aviation hub, China Southern Airlines and related companies will have the opportunities for a new round of takeoff in the future," said Tan Wangeng, Party chief of China Southern Air Holding Co and deputy chairman and president of China Southern Airlines.

One of the three major airlines on the mainland, China Southern Airlines operates more than 100 international and regional flights every week, linking Guangzhou to major cities around the world.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, which handled more than 55 million passengers last year, has become the third-busiest airport on the mainland after Beijing and Shanghai.

More opportunities

Olivier Ferraton, global CEO of GL Events SA, said the French company is eager to advance its cooperation with relevant departments and expand its presence in Guangzhou.

"Guangzhou is an interesting city that is providing myriad business opportunities," Ferraton said.

He said with the city seeking to become a new hub for aviation, shipping and scientific innovation, Guangzhou's exhibition and convention industry has great potential.

Likewise, Morris Li, president of China Guangfa Bank, said the bank expects to both help promote and benefit from the city's economic construction and scientific innovation.

In another development, Canada's Alberta province launched a trade office in Guangzhou on Tuesday, its fourth in China.

"The government of Alberta is very interested in increasing the two-way trading opportunities with China going both directions," said Deron Bilous, minister of economic development and trade of Alberta, at the opening ceremony.

China is the second-largest trading partner of Alberta and Guangdong province receives more than 20 percent of Canada's exports to China, he said.

zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn

 

(China Daily 03/24/2016 page10)